You can do anything in Linux versions same as Windows Ubuntu Linux is more
user friendly, no virus attacks , Malware, like Windows, and with few
hardware resources u can run any Linux rather than 4GB of RAM for windows.

I would not agree to the allegations below they are really out of context though I am not a Microsoft fun. Nothing has surpassed Microsoft Office. I think its a brilliant creation from Microsoft and it will remain so for some years to come. Open Office flopped and Libre does not look appealing. C# on the other hand is quite massive and a force in the developer world. Someone should tell me if there is another Visual Studio out there! Web Apps are unreliable because of the Poor TCP/IP fault tolerant because of the inherent nature of its design. One would not engage Web technology in a serious business or development environment, I would not agree to be plugged into a life support machine that runs on a WebApp, you've got to be joking! Every part of the industry has its flaws and strengths. End users needs simple easy to use equipments. Ubuntu has managed to come close but not as close as Windows is. I could be lying someone should correct me here

Actually what other people fail to understand is that Desktop Applications are here to stay, there are solutions best suited for Desktop Applications and others for Web Applications. In all fairness Desktop Applications are rich and instant and compared to Web Applications whose dependency in most cases are unpredictable. When debating this topic we need to avoid generalization. Not all people have the same internet connection nor are they stationed. Mobility can deter communication a great deal. There is also increased security risks with Web Applications. With these facts selection of a suitable type depends on the business needs.

There is no future for Microsoft. Open source technologies are flexible to customize and everyone is looking towards open-source technologies. It's better to go for Java, php, Pentaho (open source BI), Linux, Android, etc.

Microsoft is the leader for Desktop Applications (for the time), also a lot of companies maintain Windows based infrastructure, since it is easier to hire cheap trained personnel.

If you are looking into hard-core techs such as VoIP/Streaming/Encryption/Security, then unless you are presented with an opportunity to participate in a team that is working on a similar project, it will be pretty hard to acquire the knowledge.

As for *nix and Android, I have the feeling this technologies are here to stay. Android programming is easy (java applications in vast majority), as well as any other operating system for mobiles. Mobile computing is definitely one of the most promising fields for the time+future.

If you have a penny to spend, take a look at Quantum Computing (languages and methods of s/w development). Another field are the DBases, but in this case you have to deal with *nix systems :75% (officially 35% according to Microsoft, 60% according to google http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/1515 68/ballmer_still_searching_for_an_answer_to_google.h tml) web servers are either operating under Linux or are hosted on a Linux Box with VM. In other words future tends to accept bets Price/Performence ratio; so any free, reliable, upgradable, supportable and supported (by applications) operating system has a significant future.

If there is no actual reason to rush and you hate desktops, you should turn to Linux, otherwise, Windows offer an extensive market. In any case you should take a look into Linux/ FreeBSD, even if it is for academical purposes.

No one knows the future 5 to 10 years down the line but we can make some intelligent decisions based on available facts such as the Microsoft, Java, Open source ecosystems that are growing and being adopted by a large subset of businesses. So we can assume that they will be there for quite sometime.

At this point in your career when you are starting out, make sure that your fundamentals are strong...based on a solid foundation. Technology will keep changing and advancing but their foundations are pretty much the same - zeros and ones. When you get into that flow, you should be able to learn knew requirements and technologies as the market demands. That is what will set you apart. Just keep learning now. Slog like a dog and develop a passion for the kind of work you want to do so you will be driven to learn it. For example, OOPS, Design Patterns, RDBMS, networking, undertstanding data structures and algorithms and 8086 architectures will help you set your foundation right. From there, you can divert to any particular technology stack when needed with some effort. While you're at it from the technology side, sharpen your professional skills (communication - written/verbal, team coordination, root cause analysis, dependability, taking ownership and leading etc) to understand business and develop a trait that helps you work in a professional and demanding environment. I have tried many times to give freshers a break in the industry by advising them on how to attend interviews for our company - they have the basic technical skills but just don't look at things from a customer's perspective to present themselves as an attractive product... one interviewer described the nature of work that their team does to a fresh candidate and asked "so what do you think about this?" to which she replied "I don't know" and ended it with that. Another candidate rated himself 9/10 in Oracle and PL/SQL just because he had some training in it... when asked what's the difference between the two - cuckoo cuckoo.

You should visit the MS campus in Redmond, WA. It's quite inspiring to visit, see and even chat with numerous employees, execs, as I have experienced. Contrary to some posters here, who believe that MS is on its way out, they have no idea how absolutely wrong they are in their assertion.

You see, Microsoft doesn't just "do software" tools anymore. They are in EVERYTHING of science and technology. In fact, there are products that are scheduled for release within the decade that will blow your mind. More importantly, they are allied with every major, significant IT entity on the globe. They are here to stay.

My prediction for the next 20 years: Business applications development will be relegated to more clerks and less to sole developers, because the tools will make it that easy.

Those clerks will be required to specialize and understand the actual businesses, which they solution for. It's already happening with many companies. Now they hire analyists, who happen to know how to program and script.

Internet technologies, presently inundated with every Tom, Dick, and Harry approach to development. Constant change of rules, driven more by IT competitiveness rather than by actual efficiency, and still not having reached CMM (Maturity). The desktop metaphor is slowly being replaced by mobile. (It's a gadgetphile's biggest paradise for the next decade).

Some people say its good for desktop apps, but desktop apps became obsolete, very old, and they are being replaced by web apps. Even a desktop app like photoshop is made into a web app using RIA technology. eg: pixlr.com.

Microsoft Silverlight: it is a big failure, most web developers follow Jquery for RIAs.

Internet Explorer: It doesn't support HTML 5 and CSS 3. So web devs put a warning message: "don't open this page in IE"

Mysql is used more in web apps than MSsql

More websites are hosted on Linux Systems.

Mac is used for high graphics apps, video editing, etc.

Microsoft BI is rarely used.

MS SharePoint is dominated by open source Alfreshco.

In mobile apps Android is mostly used.

Microsoft is quite slowing in adapting to new features. When others implement it, then Microsoft copies it.

It was surprising to see people still using MS Office when there are Google docs, where two people can edit the same document and where we can give user permissions. Alfresco, a opensource document mgmt tool used to store documents online and access anywhere.

that was full of so many inaccuracies that I can't go back to sleep without
stating the obvious. IE has rich support for HTML5 and MS is the biggest
proponent of HTML5 and CSS3 - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/ie/aa740476

The adoption rate in enterprises for office and sharepoint far exceeds
anything from alfresco. I don't have to mention about the so called
'failure' of .net which is contrasted with the rich Microsoft ecosystem that
is integrated through the .net platform and leveraged by virtually every
organization with hundreds of thousands of developers. Just do a job search
using any of the popular job sites in any particular buisness district for
sharepoint and alfresco and that will tell you everything.

The only area where MS doesn't make a serious dent is in its mobile platform
but with its push for HTML5, you can't say how MS will indirectly make its
presence felt on all the mobile platforms. Windows8 should also change
equation a bit.

I have to get back to sleep now else I could have contrasted everything that
was said with some real facts from the real world.

It was Bill Gates who once said, he did not think anyone will need more than 64k of memory. He has lived long enough to see the opposite. To condem an application that serves millions around the World do business, in such horrible terms is to commit, in almost relative terms, Bill gates mistake.

An application is an algorithm to solve a problem. MS office an application to be used as a desktop application. It was design for that purpose and does a wonderful job for the desktop user period. Take it or leave it.

A lot of products from a lot of competition results in more choices, less monopolies, and lower prices. It's the American way! Remember, the mainframe is still around! And, COBOL is still with us! So, why not Microsoft!

Hey guys, I think the main question is lost somewhere.
I have made my mind to go for Microsoft so please don't fight over it.
Please let me know what are the areas that can hit market in recent future.Say Windows/Web then what can be the variations etc..
If any certification can help me achieve that then please share your knowledge.